Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer Blog
This time of year, many people are traveling in preparation for the holiday season. They may be spending time with friends and family and may be moving from one gathering to another as the days and weeks pass. Hopefully, these celebrations will be positive and there will be no accidents or incidents related to the safety of those who live in the Chicago area.
But odds are that several people will be hurt in premise liability accidents, or accidents that take place upon the property of another. Typically, this can include things like slipping on an icy driveway, falling on a broken stairway, stumbling on a defective or improperly designed portion of the home, or even becoming injured in an area that was not maintained or repaired properly. The victims of premise liability accidents may suffer from serious, even permanent injuries that may require medical treatment. Some may miss time from work while they recover and nearly all will be forced to endure pain and suffering.
This leads many people to wonder: what are my rights if I was hurt in an accident at someone else’s home? If the incident happened in Illinois, you may be entitled to seek financial compensation for your damages, and working with a personal injury attorney can help you along the way. The facts of each incident are very important in determining whether a valid claim exists and if it does, what type of relief may be possible.
Initially, it will matter whether you were legally upon the premises where you were injured. If you were invited to a friend’s home, you were legally authorized to be there and can satisfy this issue easily. However, things may be more complex if you were uninvited, unwelcomed, and trespassing at the time of the accident. Relief can be possible in either scenario and will depend on the remainder of the facts at issue.
To be legally liable for the harm, the owner of the property must have acted in a manner that was inconsistent with a duty or a law imposed upon her. For example, a home owner who fails to repair steps leading to her front door but also does not warn others that the steps are in a dangerous condition may be liable if someone is then hurt upon those steps. Or if a homeowner sprays water over a driveway to wash it down in winter, creating ice that cannot be seen by others and that is not expected, that home owner may be held financially liable if someone slips and falls on the ice.
Generally, there is no valid claim unless the victim involved sustained some type of harm in the incident, including injuries. Therefore, if someone slipped and fell but was not injured or otherwise damaged, there may be no valid claim under Illinois law.
Issues related to premise liability cases, slip-and-fall accidents, and other issues that may arise at the home of another person are complex and confusing. If you were hurt in an accident, know that the legal team at Abels & Annes, P.C. offers a no-cost, no-obligation case consultation to all victims who call us toll free at (855) 529-2442 or locally at (312) 924-7575. We have an attorney available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to speak with you and to help you understand your legal options so please do not hesitate to call us now.
The personal injury lawyers at Abels & Annes, P.C. fight for the rights of victims every single day and if your life was affected by an accident, we want to fight for you as well. Call us now so that you can get the relief you deserve.
Prior Blog Entry:
Why Pedestrian Safety is an Issue in Chicago, Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer Blog, published December 14, 2015.